How to Create a Kids Bathroom

If you have more than one kid, chances are you’d like to devote one bathroom in the house to be a “kids’” bathroom. For those of you who have kids, you know things can get pretty messy. Kids leave messes even in simple, day-to-day activities. Toothpaste gets dropped at the bottom of the sink, soap and toothpaste splatters the mirror, the bathtub is scattered with toys, dirty feet run in and out and blackened hands leave streak marks on the walls, and there is often a general sense of untidiness and disarray.  Needless to say, there are many reasons to keep the kids’ bathroom separate from the adults’ bathroom. Another problem that you might encounter when deciding how to deal with a kids’ bathroom, is to choose what kind of décor you want for the interior.  Do you style it according to the children’s gender? What if it will be a boy and a girl using the bathroom? Are there some colors that work better than others? What about organizational strategies to keep the bathroom from looking like a complete wind storm after the children blow through? We’ll discuss some of the strategies for planning a kids’ bathroom in the article below.

Choosing Appliances
When it comes to choosing appliances for a kids’ bathroom, simple is better. However, simple doesn’t necessarily mean cheap or unsightly. Eventually the kids’ who are using your bathroom will grow up and you may want to change the look and design of the bathroom. Think about a simple, yet stylish design that will suffice when the bathroom gets converted into a guest bath or general-use bathroom. This means, invest in a traditional shower/tub combo, choose an average vanity that you can pull a footstool up to, and go for a neutral toilet that will work in any general design. Think about long-term use of the bathroom, and not just the immediate situation. While it might be fun to go all out for a kids’ bathroom, will it be worth it in ten years when the kids have outgrown the style, or in 20 years when they have moved out and you have to redo the bathroom for general use?

Photo Credit: Home Talk

Choosing the Colors
When it comes to choosing the color tones for your kids’ bathroom, you can feel free to get creative. After you’ve chosen a neutral primary color, the walls, accessories, and even the vanity can be fun, kid-friendly colors. Painting is one of the easier remodeling techniques and the room can always be touched up and given a more neutral color after it outgrows the kid theme. If the room will be used for all girls or boys, you can consider the traditional baby colors, such as pink or blue, but it might be a good idea to stick with unbiased gender colors if you’re still expecting, or know that more than one gender will be sharing the bathroom. Shades of yellow, red, and browns often work well to keep the bathroom neutral.

Photo Credit: Maison Valentina

Organization Strategies
Once you have your appliances, colors, and the basic layout of your bathroom is done, it’s time to implement some organizational strategies to help maintain those bathroom messes and reduce the frequency with which dirt and grime spread. There are some great and simple techniques that can be used to keep the bathroom under control. A simple, cleverly phrased sign can be a great way of remind your kids to wash their hands, flush the toilet, turn off the water all the way, wipe down the counters, and more.

Photo Credit: Etsy

Organizational tools such as individualized towel racks, toothpaste/toothbrush and floss jars, and bathtub baskets for toys are other solutions to keeping things orderly and clean in the bathroom. There are a lot of great tools and gadgets that will make kids excited about working together to keep the bathroom clean and organized. From dinosaur toilet paper holders, to chore charts the kids can check off themselves once they complete a task, by the end of your planning, you should have one of the cleanest kids’ bathrooms among all your friends.

Photo Credit: Abby Manchesky

Kids bathrooms often create one of the most dreaded rooms to clean for parents, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. There are plenty of things you can do to get your kids excited about helping you keep things organized. If you’re modeling a kids’ bathroom for the first time, just remember to think about the long-term, and not just the next few years. At some point, your kids will grow up, outgrow childish designs, and eventually move out. Think about how your bathroom will be used once the kids are gone, and make sure you don’t install anything too permanent, unless you’re willing have it stay or do major reconstruction to get it out. What kind of creative ideas have you implemented in your kids’ bathrooms? Let us know in the comments below!